The present invention relates to a method of determining an accident time parameter for evaluating an accident situation in a motor vehicle, the method being used, in particular, for controlling the activation of at least one restraint system in a motor vehicle.
Modern motor vehicles usually include a plurality of safety functions, which are supposed to protect the occupants of the motor vehicle in the event of an accident. These include, for example, airbags and belts, which are tightened in the case of an accident. Such restraint systems are normally activated as a function of a time elapsed since the beginning of a collision. However, conventional design approaches for determining the collision time are often inaccurate. In addition, an accident, which has not taken place, may be detected. In particular, in irreversible restraint systems (that is, in the case of ones, which must be exchanged after activation and may not be reused), considerable repair costs may be generated by erroneous activation.